Brian Webb once won the "Animal" award for being the toughest and hardest-working football player at Cedar Falls High School.

Now Webb will be returning to the Mississippi Valley Conference to tackle what could be a beastly job as the new head football coach at Cedar Rapids Jefferson.

Webb, 32, was announced as Jefferson's new coach Saturday night. He's been the head coach at Carroll Kuemper High School the past two years, where he compiled an 18-4 record and reached the quarterfinals of the Class 2A state tournament last fall and was named the District 2 Coach of the Year.

Jefferson has lost 22 straight games, the longest losing streak among Class 4A schools in Iowa, and compiled a 22-78 record the last 11 years under Jim Womochil. Womochil resigned in January and is now a volunteer assistant coach at Iowa State.

Webb is unfazed by the challenge.

"I know Jefferson has not had a lot of success in the last couple of years," he told the Metro Sports Report in a telephone interview Saturday night. "Going to this level, I would never take the job if I didn't feel like I could be successful at it.

"It was a very difficult decision to walk away (from Carroll Kuemper), but I just felt like it was the right thing to do."

Webb said he's excited about the remodeling job that's currently under way at Jefferson and also excited about discussions for a new weight room. He said he's been impressed with members of the Jefferson community and their desire for a winning football team.

"I want to get Jefferson back to the way they should be," he said. "We're starting this program from the ground up."

Jefferson Principal Chuck McDonnell announced Webb's hiring in a news release Saturday night.

"Jefferson High School is proud to announce that Brian Webb has accepted the head football job," McDonnell said. "We know his hard work and dedication to building the whole athlete will make Jefferson football a program that players and families will want to be a part of."

Webb will meet with Jefferson players, parents and the community Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Jefferson lunch room.

Webb was a member of the football team at the University of Northern Iowa in 1998 and 1999. He received a bachelor's degree from UNI in 2003 and got a master's degree from St. Cloud State University in 2005.

He began his coaching career as a volunteer assistant at Cedar Falls High School in 1998. He worked as an assistant coach at Dike-New Hartford (2000-2003), St. Cloud State (2003-2005), Spencer High School (2005-2008) and West Des Moines Valley (2008-2010) before becoming the head coach at Carroll Kuemper for the 2010 campaign.

Tom Wilson, currently the head coach at West Des Moines Dowling, was the head coach at Dike-New Hartford when Webb was looking for his first job as a paid assistant coach.

"I was looking for a good community to coach in and I'd heard a lot about Coach Wilson," Webb said. "And to be honest with you, he didn't know who I was.

"I drove to his house and knocked on his door and introduced myself and said that I'd like to be a part of your staff. At first he was like, 'Well, who are you?' I told him my philosophy and who I was and where I came from, and he gave me the opportunity.

"I'm really fortunate," Webb said. "I'm probably the only coach in the state of Iowa that's gotten an opportunity to coach for Pat Mitchell (Cedar Falls), Tom Wilson (Dike-New Hartford) and Gary Swenson (West Des Moines Valley).

"I've been like a sponge around those guys, and it's definitely paid off. I've developed my philosophy and how to work with young people."

West Des Moines Valley won the Class 4A state title in 2008 when Webb was an assistant coach with the Tigers. Dike-New Hartford was the Class 2A state runnerup in 2001 and the Class 1A state runnerup in 2002 with Webb on the staff.

Webb said he'll develop a system that fits his players at Jefferson, rather than forcing the J-Hawks to fit a predetermined style of offense and defense.

"I am extremely excited to join the Jefferson family and community," Webb said in the news release Saturday. "Work will begin immediately towards creating the vision, purpose and mission for the Jefferson football program.

"The Jefferson community is going to get a coach that is a diligent worker, doesn't cut corners and prepares meticulously with every single task. I am excited to meet the community, boosters, fans and student-athletes of Jefferson High School."

Webb has accepted the job at Jefferson without knowing who Jefferson's new athletic director will be. Scott Kibby is leaving at the end of the school year to become the new athletic director at Iowa City West.

"It was a concern of mine at first," Webb said. "I know they're going to hire the very best person they can and I know the new athletic director will want to be successful in football.

"I know it's going to be a person that supports football. That's no longer a concern of mine."

Webb has extensive experience as a strength and conditioning coach and placed first at the World Powerlifting Association championships in Quebec in 2004. He also has coached middle school wrestling.

Webb, who is single, said he accepted the job at Jefferson Thursday afternoon.